A lanthanum-based N,N-dimethylbenzylamine
complex was used as a precatalyst for both hydrophosphination and
hydrophosphinylation of alkynes under mild conditions. In the case
of hydrophosphination, the catalyst induced monoaddition with high
regiospecificity, yielding only the anti-Markovnikov product, and
stereoselectivity that could be controlled on the basis of the reaction
conditions. Undertaking the catalysis with excess phosphine yielded
the E isomer as the major product; however, using
excess alkyne, the Z isomer was instead isolated
as the major product. A brief investigation into the catalytic cycle
suggested that a dimeric form of the lanthanum phosphide active catalyst
provided the Z isomers as kinetic products that then
underwent isomerization to yield the final E isomers.
In the case of hydrophosphinylation, the chemoselectivity depended
on the nature of the alkyne used. Terminal alkynes gave only double
addition products while both single and double addition products were
successfully isolated in the case of internal alkynes. The hydrophosphinylation
also showed high chemo- and regioselectivity as only the anti-Markovnikov
products were isolated. Monohydrophosphinylation of internal alkynes
gave almost exclusively the E isomer, and double
hydrophosphinylation of all alkynes led to 1,2-addition products.